We walked by this place one night after visiting the artisan markets and made it a point to come…read moreback, since we'd never been to a "pozolería" before.
For visitors who aren't acquainted: A pozolería is a place where they specialize in pozole. Pozole is a traditional hominy soup/stew.
Pozole usually comes with pork or chicken; we both chose shredded chicken. It also comes with a plate of garnishes that you can mix in as you like (kind of like pho). Here, I think they had shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, limes, plus crispy tostadas. There's a spicy red seasoning on the table you can sprinkle in, but a little goes a long way. (I personally can't handle super-hot spice, but more importantly, the pozole is so delicious that I wouldn't want to cover the flavor.)
Note that they have two kinds of pozole here: white and red. We chose white, which is the regular base. Red is with a chili pepper broth. (Some places also have green, with different ingredients yet.)
You also have a choice of sizes: small, medium, large. Our server was so kind as to show us the bowls to help us choose. I wasn't sure if medium would fill me up but by the time you add all those wonderful fresh side ingredients, you have a solid meal.
For fun, we ordered a little Carlota de Limón dessert, which came in a little covered plastic cup. I'd never heard of this before but it was quite tasty, a little like a lime tiramisu in texture (no coffee). I'd definitely get it again.
Our server was down-to-earth, friendly, and kind. Note that you kind of have a paper to fill out, almost like at a sushi place... but it's not that hard. Although if you don't know any Spanish, you might want to be prepared to look up a few words.
The setting is simply pleasant; it seems to be a classic old building, not overly renovated but with high ceilings, colorful blue walls, beautiful old windows, fans, and the occasional tile mosaic. The menu on the wall is retro cool, I thought. There are tables on the first floor but we enjoyed the airiness of the second floor, and our table by a window overlooking the street and a colorful church.
This felt "real" in the best kind of way. You feel like the restaurant has been here a while and that they know exactly what they're doing. It isn't a fancy tourist place with fusion recipes and whatnot; it is a place with really good food where locals eat. We loved the pozole and the setting and absolutely recommend it.
